George Colman the Elder
- Artist: Thomas Gainsborough
- Date: circa 1777
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 28 1/2 in. x 23 1/4 in. (724 mm x 591 mm)
- Portrays: George Colman the Elder
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is an oil painting by Thomas Gainsborough, created around 1777–78 and measuring 28½ inches by 23¼ inches (about 724 mm by 591 mm). In the canvas we see George Colman the Elder—a playwright who ran the Little Theatre in the Haymarket—looking directly at us. Gainsborough’s brushwork shows a careful use of color, light and shadow to render the sitter’s face and hands with realistic detail.
The artist was painting scenery at the King’s Theatre across the road while Colman managed his own theatre, so their friendship is reflected in this portrait. In 1781 writer James Boaden noted that when he saw the work hanging over Colman’s fireplace he felt it matched exactly what Colman had seen in Gainsborough’s studio. This picture captures both a friend and a contemporary of mid‑Georgian London.
See it in person
George Colman the Elder is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
